On Saturday, it was the Orlando Magic with the rally to beat the Miami Heat, but on Thursday, on the same court, it was the Heat who found a way at the end to beat the Magic.
Tyler Herro’s jumper with half a second left gave Miami an 89-88 victory — a game that came less than a week after the Heat wasted a 22-point, fourth-quarter lead and lost to the Magic.
“Just got to my spot,” Herro said.
Photo: AP
Miami trailed 71-61 going into the fourth quarter on Thursday. It was the first time — spanning 74 games — that the Heat rallied from double digits down entering the final quarter of a regular-season game and won since Oct. 26, 2019, against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I don’t know if it was our best win this year, but it was definitely our toughest win this season,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The previous Orlando-Miami game ended with the Magic on a big run. On Thursday, the Magic started the rematch with another flurry.
The Magic scored the first 14 points of Thursday’s game against the Heat, coming on the heels of Orlando outscoring Miami 37-8 in the fourth quarter of their matchup on Saturday — a huge rally that capped a comeback from as much as a 25-point deficit.
Add up the fourth quarter on Saturday and the start on Thursday, and it was a 51-8 Orlando run over about 17 minutes of game time — separated by a few days, of course.
Miami closed the gap to 31-22 by the end of the first quarter. The Heat trailed most of the way on Thursday, but found a way at the end — thanks in large part to 23 turnovers that led to 25 Miami points.
“That’s the game right there,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said.
In Atlanta, Georgia, Jalen Johnson scored a career-high 30 points, including the go-ahead basket late in the fourth quarter, to help the Hawks erase a 21-point deficit and defeat the visiting Chicago Bulls 141-133.
Johnson scored 11 of Atlanta’s 50 points in the fourth quarter, and his basket with 2:44 remaining put the Hawks in the lead to stay.
It was the highest-scoring fourth quarter for any NBA team this season.
In Indianapolis, Indiana, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 45 points as Oklahoma City rallied past the Pacers 120-114 for their ninth straight win.
In Sacremento, California, Jaden Ivey connected on a three-pointer while being fouled with 3.1 seconds remaining and dropped in the free throw as the Detroit Pistons rallied for an improbable 114-113 road win against the Kings.
The Pistons overcame a 10-point deficit in the final 2 minutes, 41 seconds.
Elsewhere on Thursday, it was:
‧ Bucks 105, Nets 111
‧ Grizzlies 155, Raptors 126
‧ Pelicans 111, Rockets 128
‧ Trail Blazers 122, Jazz 120
‧ Wizards 113, Hornets 110
Additional reporting by Reuters
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